sardine
Member
- Messages
- 3,553
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
What I have found is that being left to yourself to weld untold inches of metal, was a good thing. You certainly get lots of weld time in, if you are going to weld up 30 six inch bits of mild steel together, every week. Also changing every few weeks and learning, lap, butt, fillet joint, etc.
The thing you have to do after you have glued a few bits of metal together, is to physicaly pick them up (with gloves or tongs!) and go and find the instructor and ask his opinion. That often means standing outside someone elses welding booth for a few minutes, while the instructor is inside with them. Otherwise you will only receive two quick visits per session. You have to make yourself known and let them know you are keen. Otherwise the instructors time will be monopolized by those who put themselves forward more. I often had to push people forward to do this in my evening classes, when i saw that they wanted help, but were a bit shy in speaking up.
I found one girl who went to learn oxy, had been trundled into learning to Arc weld, and was on the verge of giving up (after paying out for the course) I simpley went to the instructor and told him what had happened and she was doing the oxy the next week.
Sometimes you have to push your way to the front, or people think you are either not in need of help, or are happy to coast along.
In my case the instructor was busy doing other things, paperwork ect, I would have expected him to be in and out of the booths, and all over us like a rash, but then the only other course I've done is army resettlement, and there was only 3 of us on it.